Kansas

NBA Comparison: Travis Knight

Strengths: Legit 7-footer with excellent size for the NBA center position ... Has become one of the dominant bigmen and a consistent performer and scorer on the college level ... Showed solid improvement from his junior to senior season raising his scoring average to 13.8 per game along with 8.5 rebounds and 3.9 blocks, while anchoring the defense for one of the top teams in the nation ... Also raised his shooting numbers from the field from 54% to 58% ... A strong defensive presence. Shows an aptitude for blocking shots with good timing, and quick reflexes to swat shots. Set the all time tournament record for blocked shots in 2012 ... Has developed some solid post moves and shows the ability to score in the paint ... Solid free throw shooter hitting 80% as a junior and 71.5% as a senior. ... Has solid though unspectacular length with a reported 7'1.5 wingspan ...

Weaknesses: He is a year older than the graduating senior class (23) so even though he's shown improvement in his game this year, his upside is questionable ... Took a few years out of high school before becoming an effective college player ... Bigmen often take longer to develop but detractors will question why it took him so long to break through. (In fairness, he had to wait his turn behind Cole Aldrich and the Morris Twins) ... Some view him as an older player beating up on players 2-3 years younger (on average) than himself ... Scouts aren't sold on his offensive abilities and question how effective he will be offensively at the next level ... Lack of lateral quickness makes him a liability in pick and roll situations ... Not great in the open floor. More effective playing in the half court. Appears very rigid, lower body awkward and uncoordinated ... Has decent speed in the open floor, but some wonder if the big, slower center is a dinosaur in today's NBA. Does Withey have the foot speed and athleticism to be as effective in the NBA as he is in college ... Likely would have been a much better fit in 1990, than today's NBA ... Upperbody strength is average by NBA standards ...

Notes: Appears to have the attributes to be a longtime NBA back up center ... Considered a potential late first round draft pick ... Measured 6'11.5 (in shoes) 229 lbs, with a 7'1.5 wingspan at the 2012 LeBron James Skills Academy ...